Chapter 03: The Beckoning Window
The Beckoning Window (呼び止め窓, Yobitome Mado) is the fifth chapter of the Tasogare Otome × Amnesia manga series. Synopsis Teiichi finds himself helping out Momoe after seeing her struggle to carry three garbage bags on her own during her class's cleaning session. While on their way to the proper disposal area, Teiichi hears a familiar voice, and before he could react, a certain spirit wearing a black seifuku jumps at him. The next thing he could remember is finding himself inside the infirmary, where Momoe is worried about his condition. Miss Takamatsu, the school nurse, assures Momoe that Teiichi just suffers from anemia, although Teiichi does feel some pain on his forehead. Meanwhile, a guilty and equally anxious Yuuko waits outside the infirmary, peeking at times to check if Teiichi is alright. Soon, Momoe voices her deepest worries of Teiichi's well-being, especially as she remembers hearing a voice call his name before he fainted. Both Miss Takamatsu and Teiichi were shocked at the revelation, with Teiichi surprised that Momoe was able to hear Yuuko's voice. Momoe soon tells the story of the "Curse of the Beckoning Window", a ghost story that tells of a certain window that calls out the name of the person who passes by that window. According to the story, a girl committed suicide on the school's fourth building after succumbing to depression brought by constant bullying at school. However, in spite of her death, the girl's loneliness still lingers. The girl's soul soon haunted the window where she fell to her death, and looking at the girl's eyes would mark you as her victim. After three days, the spirit shall return and drag the mark victim to the window, where the victim shall suffer the same fate as the lonely spirit. A shocking reaction came from an unlikely source — Nurse Takamatsu herself — and, too frightened to listen to another story, she leaves the infirmary. With the school nurse heading for the washroom, Momoe continues on the story. The story is supposed to happen at the time when the school's fourth building is the highest in the school, and the impact was so tremendous that the girl's remains were undiscernable when it was discovered. Momoe clearly shows her concern for Teiichi's life as a believer of ghost stories, and Teiichi finds it hard to explain what actually happened. Unfortunately, Momoe has decided to help him overcome the curse in whatever means necessary within three days, squeezing Teiichi's hand in her declaration. Soon, Momoe runs to begin her mission immediately, and someone else holds on to Teiichi's hand... it's Yuuko, and she is clearly insecure about Momoe's gesture a while ago. Yuuko is a bit disappointed that Teiichi was not able to explain everything to Momoe, but she thinks that Momoe's "mission" will inevitably come up a failure in the end. Three days soon flew by, and Yuuko's assessment turned out to be accurate. A disheartened Momoe arrives at the Paranormal Investigation Club room and she tearfully apologizes for Teiichi for breaking her promise. Yuuko appears indifferent, partly because of knowing that Teiichi won't die to an imaginary curse and partly due to developing insensitivity to the passage of time as a ghost. Momoe manages to calm down, and Teiichi and Yuuko decide to explain the truth behind the curse, when Momoe suddenly declares that she will not give up in her cause. Soon, she prepares different items that are supposed to ward off the effects of the curse, which puts Teiichi in an embarrassing situation. Although Yuuko was able to laugh off Momoe's pathetic attempt to ward off the curse, Momoe's remark about not letting a single ghost go past her suddenly triggered something on Yuuko's mind. As Momoe starts to become too clingy to be comfortable for Yuuko, the ghost charges on Teiichi and drags him out of the clubroom by the mirror necklace. Momoe gathers courage to pursue Teiichi and soon, a chase between Teiichi and Momoe happens inside the school grounds. Momoe soon reaches the fourth building's rooftop, and she sees Teiichi on the edge. While Momoe slowly approaches Teiichi, Yuuko, who remains unseen to Momoe, realizes that the "game" they played is no longer fun... and desperation has taken the better of her. In a split second, Yuuko pulls Teiichi with her, and they slowly fall over the edge, with Momoe helpless to reach them in time. Teiichi soon disappears from sight, and Momoe feels distraught, not being able to save Teiichi. Then, a soft laugh is heard. It is Teiichi's voice. A surprised Momoe looks over the edge where Teiichi fell, and where it's supposed to be a long fall to certain death is actually another rooftop, and Teiichi is there. Yuuko soon explains to Teiichi that the story is already broken, with the place where the victim of the curse is to fall to his death already the site for another school building. Teiichi survives, and Momoe manages to heave a sigh of relief. Days passed, and Teiichi passes by the same spot where he was taken out by Yuuko's flying embrace. Fortunately, Teiichi manages to catch Yuuko properly, and he is a bit shocked to find Yuuko on the same spot after just four days. Nonetheless, Yuuko is there to enjoy her company with Teiichi. However, Momoe still interprets this as the spirit of the Beckoning Window returning, and she faints at the thought of Teiichi being close to death once again. Characters By order of appearance *Teiichi Niiya *Momoe Okonogi *Yuuko Kanoe *Yuuto *Haruka Yoshizawa 'New Characters' *Ryouka Takamatsu, Seikyou Academy's school nurse Locations 'New Locations' *Seikyou Academy Infirmary Room *Seikyou Academy Fourth Building Rooftop Trivia 'Cultural References' *Momoe adorns Teiichi with many items that are connected with rituals in an attempt to counter the Curse of the Beckoning Window. Here are the items that she used on Teiichi: **On Teiichi's forehead is a white headband with the letters "御護", which pertains to protecting its wearer from harm. **A mirror is hung from Teiichi's neck. Mirrors are revered in Japanese Shinto belief, and one of the parts of the Imperial Regalia of Japan consists of the Yata no Kagami, a mirror. **Teiichi holds a voodoo doll with a bell attached to it on his right hand. While voodoo dolls are not associated with Japanese culture, the bell (more specifically a suzu) can be used to ward off evil entities. **Meanwhile, on his left hand is a Christian cross, which is portrayed to be able to cleanse evil spirits even by simple contact. **Lastly, rows of shide are attached on the sleeves of Teiichi's gakuran. Shide are used in a variety of ways, often in rituals. **Momoe is planning to use salt, although there are no accessible sources of salt nearby. Salt are often used in purification rituals. 'Referbacks' Quotes *"Now it's my turn... I'll save you, Niiya-san!!" — Momoe's declaration of payback for Teiichi's help in the "Hidden Ghost" case *"Sometimes... I forget what day it is... Because to me, days, months, even years... they all feel exactly the same. That's why I really am jealous... that she can live so desperately..." — Yuuko's lamenting remark about the fate of a ghost Category:Manga Chapters